US1297677A - Vending mechanism. - Google Patents

Description

G. W. GOMBER.

VENDING MECHANISM.

APPUCATION FILED NOV.9. 19w

Patented Mar. 18, 1919.

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G. W. GOMBER.

VENDING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED N079, IQII.

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GEORGE W. GOMBER, F CONYNGI-IAM, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T0 STANDARD AUTO- MA'IIC MACHINE COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

. citizen of the United States, residing at Conyngham, in the county of Luzerne and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Vending Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to vending mechanism designed more particularly for vending cigars, but capable of use for vending other articles. The object of the inven-v tion is to provide a mechanism, especially for vending cigars, wherein the liability of bunching. or overrunning of the cigars is avoided and but one cigar is released at a time on each operation of the mechanism.

The vending apparatus may be operated by coin-controlled mechanism such as shown and described in another application, Serial No. 201,128, filed by me on even date herewith for coincontrolled mechanism for vending machines.

In accordance with the invention, the cigars remain in the box, and the latter with the cigars is placed in the vending machine, one end of the box being removed, and the box is slanted or tipped in a manner to cause the cigars to gravitate through the open end of the box. In the path of the cigars there are arranged associated belts so mounted that at each vending operation the belts are caused to reciprocate, thereby agitating and feeding the cigars toward the delivery end of the machine, this preventing either bunching of the cigars or the feeding of the cigars more rapidly than intended.

Furthermore, holding devices are provided whereby but one cigar at a time can reach the discharge end of the machine.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, with the further understanding that, while the drawings show a practical form of the invention, the latter is not confined to any strict conformity with Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 9, 1917. Serial No. 201,129.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section about midway of the breadth of the vending portion of the machine;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the structure shown in Fig. 2, with the casing in longitudinal section and some of the parts omitted;

Fig. 4 is a front end elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 55 of Fig. 2.

Referringto the drawings, there is shown a vending apparatus A and a coin-controlled apparatus B, which latter, in its detailed construction, does not enter into the present invention but is shown and described in the aforesaid application, and consequently no particular description of the coin-controlled part of the apparatus is given.

The structure A is provided with side walls 1 which may be made of sheet metal or otherwise constructed, and each side wall has a marginal flange 2 which may be attached to or form part of the side walls and serve to stiffen and strengthen the side walls. The walls 1 are secured together in spaced relation by rods or bars 3 at intervals, thus forming a sufficiently rigid sustaining structure for parts to be described. Extending diagonally upward from what may be termed the front end of the vending apparatus to the rear end thereof is a partition or platform 4 designed to support a box of cigars. The shelf 4 has longitudinal slots 5 therethrough near its lower endand transverse slots 6' therethrough at higher points, the slots 6 being above a rod 7 mounted in and extending between the side walls 1. 'Mounted on the rod 7 so as to slide longitudinally thereon are brackets 8 each terminating at one end in an arm 9 rising through a corresponding slot 6 and carrying above the platform 4 a plate 10 constituting a clamp plate for holding a box of cigars so that when thebox of cigarsis resting on the platform 4, it is clamped between the two plates 10. To improve the clamping efi'ect, each plate 10 has, at what constitutes its lower end, an upstanding wing 11 inset toward the other plate. On the rod 7 midway between the side walls 1 there is a stop member 12 held in place by a screw 13, from which latter there extend springs 14 to the brackets 8. The springs 14 hold the brackets against the stop members but will yield to pressure applied to the plates 10 tending to separate them.

Extending between and mounted in the plates 1 are shafts 15 and 16 and also extending between the sides 1 and mounted therein are other shafts 17 and'18. Secured to the shaft 15 on opposite sides of the longitudinal center line of the vending machine are segmental pulleys 19, each formed of'an appropriately shaped piece of sheet metal made fast to the shaft 15 by screws 1 20 or otherwise. Secured to the shaft 16 by screws 21 are other segmental pulleys 22 corresponding to the pulleys 19 and of somewhat greater circumferential extent. The pulleys 19 are alined with the corresponding pulleys Each pair of pulleys 19 and 22 carries a band 23 of webbing or other suitable flexible material, with one end provided with a reinforcement 24 having an opening whereby it may be secured over a screw or pin 25 on the pulley 19, while the "other end of the band is made fast in a clip 26engaiged over the corresponding extremity of the pulley segment 22.

The shaft 17 carries pulley segments 27 "and the shaft 18 carries pulley segments 28 beneath the shelf or partition 4 and these pulleysegments carry belts or webs 29 simi lar to the webs '23 and similarly secured to the "respective pulley segments. The ar- 30 r'angem'ent is such that the belts 29 project through the longitudinal slots 5 and are arranged immediately beneath the belts 23, with the pulley segments 27 immediately "under but spaced from the pulley segments '22.

' The belts23 are upright, and the belts 29 are nearly horizontal, sloping downwardly from that portion of the machine where the 1 box of cigars is to be lodged so that the higher'endsof the belts 29 underlie the open end of the box.

The s'haft'lo projects through one side wall 1 and is there provided with a crank arm 30. The shaft 16 projects through the same side wall 1 and is there provided with rock arm 31 extending on both sides of the aXis of rocking. The'arm 30 and one end of the arm 31 are connected together by a link 32, so that the two shafts rock simultaneously, and as the connected portions of the arms 30 and 31 are of the same length these twofshafts rock to the same extent.

The sh aft 17 'proj ects beyond the face plate '1' similarly to the shafts 15 and 16 and there 5 carries a lever 33 having at one end an arm 34 in the path of which there is a pin 35 on the free end of a rock arm '36 carried by a shaft 37 mounted in and extending between the side'plates 1, and also immediately over the pulleysegments 22.- Fast to the shaft 37 is a finger 38 having a terminal bent portion 39 shaped to engage'and holda cigar rolling down the partition or platform 4 "near "the discharge end thereof. At such discharge end the partition-'" t -is pro id'ed.

with spaced slots 40 through which normally extend terminal portions 41 of angle arms or r'o'ds 42carried at their other ends upon a shaft 43 extendin tetween'theside walls H 1 andthrough the same side wall as the shaft 17, where the shaft 43 has fast thereto an arm 44 carrying at its free end a pm 45 1n the path of an arm 46 extendingfrom' the lever adjacentto its connection with the 34, and this arm'49 is connectedby a'l-i nk 50 to a bracket 51 on a pushbar 52 f'orm ing part of the coin lock B and constituting the flexible operating r'nen'rbeifof the "structure. The link '50; vi l'ierecon'nected to'the arm' 49, has a loop 53 to constitute a lost motion connection.

That and of thearm 31 remetefrom the link 32 is'cOnneCte'd by a link 5-4 to thenrm '46, and the arm 36 is underTthe 'control' of a spring 5'5'connected to one or the walls 1.

The shafts 17 and 18*"each'havea pin 56 projecting from and'fast" thereto, and these pins are connected attheir free ends' 'b'y a link 57.

One of the rods 3 connecting the side walls land located above and near the delivery endof the shelf 4 carries "fingers 58 oyer- "riding that' po'rtion "of the shelf-ovefiwhich cigars must't'r'a'vel' from the bo'if td'the point 0f 'c'lelive'ry.

When the ush bar 52 i's' operated'from the position shown in Fig. 1; that is, when it is mo ed toward the leftas viewed i-n'Fig.

1, the lever '33 is 'rockedin a manner to carry the arm seaward; the 'righ't, this il'iovement "rocking the shafts -15 "and 16 clockwise and'the' shafts 17 and 18 "also clockwise. 'The result ofthe'se movements is' that the belt on 'web '23 inoves "down- 5 iva'i'c'lly and toward the l'eft, while the belt 29' moves toward the 'right, both asviewed in Fig.2. At'theend' of the movement; the

arm 46 engages the pin 45, thus "rocking the shaft 43 's'ufficientl to 'move the ends 41 of thearms" orrods 42 out ofthe path of a cigar previously lodged against theends '41, "and l the cigar "promptly gravitates to the discharge endof the machine. The move- -"'ments'' of the belts '23a1id 29, which' -ai'e' in opposite directions 'so' far as the cigars are concerned, tend to roll the cigars and there- "by avoid any liability of the cigars'elogging "o'r j ammingQ The "foremost cigar-1 toward the discharge end can. eseapei bnt tefore'thisfise occurs the release of the arm 36 by the arm 3A causes a movement of the finger 38 into the path of the released cigar, thus holding the latter from further movement so long as the ends 41 of the arms 42 are out of the path of the oncoming cigar. l/Vhen the parts return to the first position, as occurs When the operating bar is released to move into the machine, the extremities 41 of the arms 42 reach a position to prevent the escape of the cigar before the cigar is released by the finger 38.

By providing one set of belts in an upright position and the other set of belts in a position approximating the horizontal, the cigars,.with the exception of one or two about to be discharged, are free, and yet every time the device is operated all those cigars adjacent to the discharge end of the machine are agitated. The result of this is that any tendency of the cigars to jam or clog is prevented.

What is claimed is:

1. A vending machine for cigars and the like provided with reciprocatory agitating belts arranged at an angle one to the other, carriers for the belts, and lever and link connections between the carriers for causing movements thereof in timed relation.

2. A vending machine for cigars and the like provided with a shelf or partition having slots therethrough, belts extending through the slots, and rockable carriers for the belts, the shelf constituting a support for the cigars and the belts constituting agitating means for the cigars.

3. A vending machine for cigars and the like provided with associated reciprocatory agitating belts, each belt having a support comprising spaced pulley segments to which the belts are made fast at the ends of the segments remote from each other, and lever and link connections between the pulley seg ments.

4. A vending machine having feeding means for delivering the articles to be vended including spaced rock shafts, pulley segments on the shafts, belts connecting like pulley segments and fast thereto, and con nections between the shafts for causing them to rock simultaneously to like extents.

5. A vending machine for cigars and the like provided with a shelf or partition having slots therethrough, rock shafts beneath and transversely of the shelf, pulley segments on the rock shafts registering with the slots, belts connecting the pulley segments and projecting through the slots, other shafts above the shelf transversely thereof and located over corresponding ones of the first-named pulleys, and belts connecting the second-named pulleys and having substantially upright runs.

6. A vending machine for cigars and the like provided with a shelf or partition hav ing slots therethrough, rock shafts beneath and transversely of the shelf, pulley seg ments on the rock shafts registering with the slots, belts connecting the pulley segments and projecting through the slots, other shafts above the shelf transversely thereof and located over corresponding ones of the first-named pulleys, and belts connecting the second-named pulleys and having substantially upright runs, and interconnections between the shafts for causing the first and second-named belts to reciprocate simultaneously in opposite directions.

7. A vending machine for cigars and the like provided with a portion along which the cigars may gravitate to the delivery end of the machine, reciprocatory stop means movable into and out of the path of the cigars approaching the discharge end of the machine, reciprocatory holding means movable into and out of the path of a cigar approaching the stop means, the holding means engaging the cigar when the stop means are withdrawn from such path, agitating means for the cigars for delivering them one at a time to the holding means, and operating means having connections to the agitating, stop and holding means for causing the operation of said means in timed relation to deliver the cigars one at a time.

'8. A vending machine for cigars and the like having an inclined platform for supporting a box of cigars, rockable holding means for cigars, reciprocatory webs extending through the platform and having a like inclination, other reciprocatory webs in superposed spaced relation to the lower ends of the first-named webs and extending in an upright direction, and operating means for causing the reciprocation of the first and second-named webs in opposite directions, the release of a cigar held by the holding means, and the holding of the next cigar in order, the parts all being timed to operate in proper sequence.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE W. GOMBER.

Witnesses MABEL C. HAUSER, C. W. MILLER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

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